Mini vintage book haul

So over the weekend me & my boyfriend went on a camping trip to Kent to celebrate our anniversary and while we were there we came across a all-book Oxfam shop. I was busy perusing the shelves on the walls when Matt pointed out a turn-style thing that had a huge amount of vintage books on it! All for only 99p too! It’s safe to say I spent a good half an hour looking at every single one of them, making sure I didn’t miss any gooduns.

In the end, I only got 3 books, I could have picked up so many more, but I wanted to limit myself and not go too wild. I had so much fun looking through all these vintage classic books, it was so nice to actually have accessibility to the old covers!

These are the three books that I got.

The Rats by James Herbert – edition published in 1977

Synopsis:For millions of years man and rats had been natural enemies. But now for the first time – suddenly, shockingly, horribly – the balance of power had shifted and the rats began to prey on the human population.

The reason I picked this one up was because of the cover and I recognised the authors name. I’d actually not heard about this book before, but after looking it up on Goodreads while I was in store, I knew I had to get it! You know me, I love a bit of old school horror, so this sounds great for me.

What I love the most about this book is that it clearly says this was 80p (!!!) when it came out in 1977! Imagine if books were only 80p now…

Watership Down by Richard Adams – edition published in 1978

Synopsis:Sandleford Warren is in danger. Hazel’s younger brother Fiver is convinced that a great evil is about to befall the land, but no one will listen. And why would they when it is Spring and the grass is fat and succulent? So together Hazel and Fiver and a few other brave rabbits secretly leave behind the safety and strictures of the warren and hop tentatively out into a vast and strange world. Chased by their former friends, hunted by dogs and foxes, avoiding farms and other human threats, but making new friends, Hazel and his fellow rabbits dream of a new life in the emerald embrace of Watership Down…

I picked this up and put it down a couple of times because, honestly, I’m not sure when/if I will read this one, but I LOVE the cover version of it so I couldn’t pass it up!

This is a guilty cover buy…

The Boarding House by William Trevor – edition published in 1968

Synopsis: William Bird has always taken in boarders who are on the fringes of society: the petty conman, the immigrant who’s never been able to fit in, the blustering officer who really doesn’t know what’s what , and the just plain lonely. He’s built a unique place with a unique atmosphere. But then he realizes he’s dying, and he decides to leave the place to the two tenants likely to cause the greatest amount of trouble, and the whole enterprise goes up in smoke.

I initially picked this up because it looks ominous and I thought it might be a horror novel, but it’s not. It sounds like a dark comedy in ways, but it also sounds like it’s going to be a bit freaky and weird, which is something I love from books.

This only has 15 reviews on Goodreads and doesn’t appear to be in print anymore. You can still get it on the Kindle though, or buy secondhand, like me.

What I find so amazing about this book is that this is the version from 1968 and considering it’s lived through 49 years in existence, this is in SUCH good quality. This is even signed by the books original owner! How cool! (Ignore the pencil price that Oxfam put in).

So there we have it, that’s just a mini book haul of vintage novels I got while away in Kent! I know this isn’t the most original of content, but I wanted to show you guys my cute “new” books!

Haha for real!! My uncle lended my mom his copy of The Fellowship of the Ring, which she never read, so it’s in AMAZING condition with his name written in it. I’m like thanks Mom for not being a reader! XD

YOU MUST READ WATERSHIP DOWN! I still have my beat up paperback from the ’80s. I think I have read it three times. I love the cover of the one you found. If you watch the anime style film, it might make you want to read it. I bought the book after seeing the film. 🙂